Reach Out, He'll Be There
by BearfootTruck
Summary: When Tails is shaken by a bad dream, it sets off a chain reaction for Sonic as he goes around and helps his friends with what ails them. Rated K for references to bad things.


**A/N: After what may be my darkest fanfic yet, and especially after the shocking events of this week. I figured something light and fluffy was in order. Enjoy!**

* * *

The Kingdom of Mobius once again had the pleasure of being visited by an uninterrupted sunrise. As the sun crept over the mountains north of Azure Lake Zone, the local wildlife signalled the beginning of another busy day. At the southern portion of the lake, two people living in a certain cabin got up for their own version of this day.

These two people were Sonic the Hedgehog and Miles "Tails" Prower.

After shutting off the Realistic Chronomatic 251 that was flooding the cabin with the heavy and hard stylings of "Heavy Metal" by Sammy Hagar, Sonic let out a deep yawn and stretched as if he were reaching for the sky. A couple of blinks later, he had a smile on his face as one thing cycled through his mind:

Breakfast.

Sonic grabbed various proteins and grain products from the fridge and pantry, heated up the stove and got down to cooking. While not as much of a morning person as the Blue Blur, Tails just couldn't help but perk up at the smell of food being cooked. Even so, the effect was only temporary, as Tails sighed and hung his head. Soon enough, he could hear the clattering of plates being set on the table.

"Tails, breakfast is ready!"

Tails groaned.

"Hungry, man?" asked Sonic. "This'll cheer ya up!"

Tails lifted his head to see a veritable buffet of food waiting for him: Sausages, bacon, pancakes and eggs, among other things. He put a pancake on his plate, dribbled some maple syrup on it and stared at it for a minute before poking at it with his fork. Sonic, who was about to crack open a bottle of Coke using the edge of the table and his fist, stopped and set the bottle down.

"Tails?"

Tails ignored Sonic.

"What it is, my man?"

Tails continued to poke at his pancake.

"Somethin' wrong?"

Tails groaned again.

"Hey, I can't force ya to do nothin', but I know that look, and it's startin' to bug me."

Finally, Tails looked Sonic straight in the eye. "Sonic, can we talk about this after breakfast?"

Sonic nodded. "Sure thing, my man."

* * *

After breakfast, the two heroes brushed and flossed before throwing on their shoes and going out. Ordinarily, Sonic would've taken off like a jet fighter, but the events at breakfast told him that speed would have to wait.

"So, what's on your mind, Tails?"

Tails beckoned Sonic. "Please, follow me."

Tails led Sonic into a nearby workshop, which was where Tails worked on all his projects. Amidst piles of papers and parts, Tails cleared his throat.

"Well?" said Sonic.

"Sonic, I've got a problem, a big one."

"Bigger than trying to invent a super cannon to blow up Robuttnik's Wing Fortress?"

"No, this doesn't have anything to do with my inventions."

"So what does it have to do with?"

"Last night, I…I had a bad dream."

"What about?"

"Sonic, do you remember the day we met, when you saved me from that bully Claude and his goons?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, in my dream, he…shot and killed you. I…I got so angry that I literally tore him and his friends to pieces."

Sonic's eyebrows raised. "Holy crap, that is some serious static!"

"Th-this isn't the first time that it happened, either…"

"So how long has this been goin' on for?"

Tails' lower lip started to tremble. "A little over a week."

"Oh my god…"

"I know!" Tears started forming in Tails' eyes. "I can't get it out of my head! Last night, I even woke up and didn't know where I was!"

"Don't worry, man; it's only a nightmare…"

Tails pointed at Sonic. "For you, maybe! For me, it's something beyond words! Sonic, listen to me: I'm not a murderer! I mean, sure, I killed a bunch of Robotnik's creations, but that's different!"

"You're right; you're not a murderer. Murderers don't care about the consequences of their actions."

"But that's not even the worst part!"

"Then what is?"

"I…the thought of losing you…never getting to do fun things with you again…I…I just…"

Tails fell to his knees, covered his face and cried.

"Tails…oh god…" Sonic knelt down and put his hands on Tails' shoulders. "Look, we all gotta go some time. I just wanna let you know that in spite of that, I promise I'll spend as much time with ya as I can. You got such a beautiful mind; please don't waste it by worrying about what's past!"

"I know I shouldn't, but…"

"Tails, I'm right here. If ya need to cry, I can dig it."

And so, Sonic and Tails wrapped their arms around each other and let the sadness flow. Sonic had always hated seeing people sad like this. Knowing that anybody, anywhere was hurting as much as this gave him really bad vibes, and his golden heart couldn't help but draw him to help them out. He gently rubbed Tails on the back. Every time he did this, he couldn't help but be taken in by how soft Tails was. Feeling that fluffy fur pressing against him was enough to give him a measure of relief from the sadness, not that he wanted to get away from it in the first place. After all, wasn't it better to accept sadness? It must have been, because Tails' crying didn't last too long. Nevertheless, Sonic held Tails until he indicated his satisfaction by letting go.

"Are you all right?" Sonic handed Tails some tissues.

Tails blew his nose and wiped the tears from his eyes. "I don't know. That felt good, but…"

"But what? What ifs, ands or buts are we talkin' about? Tails, ya don't have to be all right right away, but know this: you're my best friend, and I love you very much. I mean, not in _that_ way, but…"

Tails smiled. "Oh Sonic…I love you very much, too!"

And so, the two hugged each other again. This time, Sonic decided to nibble on Tails' ear, causing the latter to giggle.

"Sonic, stop! That tickles!"

"Why for? Your ears are so cute!"

Sonic nibbled for a few more seconds before deciding to stop. Tails' giggling ceased a moment later.

"Well now what?" asked Sonic.

Tails stroked his chin. "Hmmm…"

* * *

Minutes later, Sonic and Tails had taken to the sky in the Tornado 1. Tails threw caution to the wind as he looped, zinged and barrel-rolled across the sky. Just for fun, Sonic exited the observer's seat and climbed up onto the wing. Thankfully, the power of centrifugal force kept him from falling off.

"Aw yeah, this is disco!" After giving a thumbs up, Sonic chimed in on his watch communicator. "Feelin' better, my man?"

"A _lot_ better!" replied Tails. "Where do you want me to go?"

Sonic stroked his chin. "Hmmm…"

* * *

 **A/N: This isn't gonna be a simple one-shot; a lot of characters will be involved. So, if you have any ideas on what I should do next, either PM me or tell me in the reviews! There are a few catches, however:**

 ***No characters from the Archie comics or _Sonic the Comic_ except maybe Scourge and those who were already in _Sonic SatAM_.  
**

 *** NO FAN CHARACTERS. Well...except maybe Venus the Hedgehog. I've been wanting to use her in a story for some time now.**

 ***No characters from _Sonic X_ except maybe Cosmo. On second thought...if you folks think there's no plausible way for her to be involved, then I won't put her in.**

 ***No characters from _Sonic Boom_ except Sticks and maybe Perci and Zooey. Then again, if you feel that there are any characters from this series that deserve my attention, send me a reason or two and I'll give them consideration.**

 **On another note, I must also add: Criticism is gold. Negativity and nitpicking are pyrite.**


End file.
